Brewing a sustainable energy solution

A joint project between the University of Queensland (UQ) and Foster's to turn beer wastewater into electricity has won $140,000 from the Queensland Government's Sustainable Energy Innovation Fund.

Postdoctoral research fellow Dr Korneel Rabaey from UQ's Advanced Wastewater Management Centre (AWMC) said the technology worked by creating a microbial fuel cell, which feeds continuously on the organics in the brewery wastewater, turning it into power.

The process also produces clean water and renewable (non-polluting) carbon dioxide.

Dr Rabaey said with the current drought in Australia, the smart use of natural resources had never been more important. 'Energy and water supply are among the biggest challenges we will face in the coming decades,' he said. 'Therefore, we must learn how to diversify our portfolio of fuels – and we must learn to reduce our energy and water usage.'

AWMC Director Professor Jurg Keller said the focus in wastewater management had shifted away from simply treating waste, to recovering valuable resources such as water, energy and nutrients. 'Technology that can do this should be supported, therefore the decision by the Queensland Government to support this project is a very important signal, both to universities and industry,' he said.